Support these new awards to find Yorkshire’s Asian Young Achievers of the year

The Yorkshire Asian Young Achievers awards (The YAYAs) is the first scheme of its kind set up to recognise the efforts of young people aged 16-30, of South Asian heritage living and working in Yorkshire.

Its special focus is on those socially-mobile young achievers who have overcome deprivation and disadvantage, or have broken through traditional barriers to progress.

The awards aim to:
Promote social mobility among young South Asians
Identify role models to help inspire others from the relevant communities
Encourage young South Asians to seek out and take up further and higher education opportunities

Working in association with our headline partners, York St John University, the YAYAs are organised by the QED Foundation, a registered charity which exists to improve the social and economic position of disadvantaged communities in partnership with public, private and civil society organisations. It has been creating opportunities for all since 1990.

The YAYAs are a fabulous opportunity to illustrate your company or organisation’s support for social mobility and, in particular, an under-represented and disadvantaged section of the growing South Asian community.
Yorkshire is the big beating heart of the Northern Powerhouse with more than 600,000 BME residents, the vast majority of whom are of South Asian origin.

We anticipate widespread media coverage across the whole county and there will be an intensive campaign of PR as well as press, broadcast and social media coverage to support both the entry process and the gala presentations night.

The YAYAs are being organised for QED by Perry Austin-Clarke, former Editor of the Telegraph & Argus, in Bradford, as well as The Press in York and a host of weekly paid-for newspapers and websites across the county. Please e-mail Perry for a Sponsor’s Pack with details of opportunities ranging from £500 to £3,000 at: perry@yorkshiremediapartners.co.uk

Statistics show young people of South Asian origin in Yorkshire continue to struggle to overcome disadvantages in making their way in the world, be that in education, employment or social mobility generally.

In all categories, we are seeking to recognise success and effort in overcoming challenges and barriers to progress, be they social, economic, personal or simply the result of traditional or historical attitudes or circumstances.

In each area, we’re looking for beacons of success and achievement who can inspire others and be the role models that the young people who follow them can aspire to become and even overshadow.

The chosen categories for 2020 are:
ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORT
ACHIEVEMENT IN HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH & HEALTHCARE
ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS & CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
ACHIEVEMENT IN THE MEDIA
ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATION
ACHIEVEMENT IN BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, FINANCE OR LAW
ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL OR COLLEGE
ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THE NOT˜FOR˜PROFIT SECTOR
FEMALE ACHIEVEMENT IN TRADITIONALLY MALE WORK AREAS
ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERCOMING LIFE OBSTACLES
YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR

The inaugural YAYA awards will be presented at a glittering dinner at the Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford, on the evening of Thursday, APRIL 2, 2020.

Individual awards will be presented by representatives of their sponsors following video presentations featuring the shortlisted candidates and their achievements.

The keynote speech will be given by Lord Bichard, Non-Executive Chairman of the National Audit Office.

Michael Bichard worked at senior levels in local government and was the chief executive at both Brent and Gloucestershire. He then moved into central government working as chief executive of the Benefits Agency and then as permanent secretary at the Department for Education and Employment.

Since his retirement from the civil service 2001, he has held a variety of positions including vice chancellor of the University of the Arts London, chair of the Legal Services Commission, founder director of the Institute for Government, chair of Shakespeare’s Globe, chair of the Design Council and has recently retired as chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

He also chaired an inquiry into the Soham murders in 2004. Michael is currently chair of Bristol Business School advisory board, non-executive director of The Key (an education support company), and trustee of the River and Rowing Museum. He received a knighthood in 1999 and became a cross-bench member of the House of Lords in 2010. He was for five years a deputy speaker of the House.

Further information from: perry@yorkshiremediapartners.co.uk